Carl Howe
@cdhowe.bsky.social
Retired Data Scientist, Programmer, Pilot, Amateur Radio Operator, avid traveler, and general nerdy topic lover.
Lexington Annoying Kings Since 1775.
June 14, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Lexington Annoying Kings Since 1775.
No Kings since 1776 in Lexington, MA.
June 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM
No Kings since 1776 in Lexington, MA.
Our son saw a pileated woodpecker near our home yesterday, and then I read this in the Boston Globe (that article is paywalled so I linked to a different one). They are glorious birds to see, even if the males are overly protective of their territory.
www.wcvb.com/article/wood...
www.wcvb.com/article/wood...
Neighbors fed up after pesky woodpecker damages cars, homes in Mass. town
The woodpecker has been caught on camera perching on cars and trucks and drilling into the side mirrors, leaving some cracked and others shattered.
www.wcvb.com
April 15, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Our son saw a pileated woodpecker near our home yesterday, and then I read this in the Boston Globe (that article is paywalled so I linked to a different one). They are glorious birds to see, even if the males are overly protective of their territory.
www.wcvb.com/article/wood...
www.wcvb.com/article/wood...
A good crowd at our little Revolutionary town of Bedford MA Hands Off rally.
April 6, 2025 at 9:06 AM
A good crowd at our little Revolutionary town of Bedford MA Hands Off rally.
I hadn’t realized Lumon had an goat research facility near us.
March 31, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I hadn’t realized Lumon had an goat research facility near us.
Clearly & Juliet was last night’s theater. There isn’t much cellular coverage underground at the Sondheim theater.
March 30, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Clearly & Juliet was last night’s theater. There isn’t much cellular coverage underground at the Sondheim theater.
Am now seated for our third night of theater seeing Gogol’s The Inspector at Yale Rep. I’m guessing no dancing in the aisles at the end of this one.
March 30, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Am now seated for our third night of theater seeing Gogol’s The Inspector at Yale Rep. I’m guessing no dancing in the aisles at the end of this one.
Am excited to be seeing & Juliet on Broadway again! This is show #7 for me. You have to love a show that leaves people dancing in the aisles.
March 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Am excited to be seeing & Juliet on Broadway again! This is show #7 for me. You have to love a show that leaves people dancing in the aisles.
Anyone who has held a security clearance knows that keeping top secret information on unsecured media is way more serious than the leak to a reporter. You can usually find the penalties for doing so on the red-bordered cover page with the bold TOP SECRET lettering.
What you have to understand about Pete Hegseth copying and pasting war plans into Signal is that it almost certainly means he’s got classified documents on his personal UNSECURE devices. Signal isn't on a secure device...are our war plans on his personal devices? @jeffreygoldberg.bsky.social
March 25, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Anyone who has held a security clearance knows that keeping top secret information on unsecured media is way more serious than the leak to a reporter. You can usually find the penalties for doing so on the red-bordered cover page with the bold TOP SECRET lettering.
Congratulations to all the students receiving acceptances to MIT today. You will have the opportunity to solve some of the most difficult problems of today’s world and may even have some fun doing it!
March 14, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Congratulations to all the students receiving acceptances to MIT today. You will have the opportunity to solve some of the most difficult problems of today’s world and may even have some fun doing it!
Looking at some brush fires from Prospect Hill Lookout in Harvard MA
March 11, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Looking at some brush fires from Prospect Hill Lookout in Harvard MA
A flock of red-winged blackbirds are making a racket outside our house today. Spring is definitely on the way.
March 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM
A flock of red-winged blackbirds are making a racket outside our house today. Spring is definitely on the way.
Could there be a more classic set of events? Today is my family’s moving day as we prepare to renovate our house. I went out and snowblowed (snowblew?) and salted the drive for the movers, slipped on black ice, hit my head, and now am sitting in the ER waiting for a CAT scan.
February 3, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Could there be a more classic set of events? Today is my family’s moving day as we prepare to renovate our house. I went out and snowblowed (snowblew?) and salted the drive for the movers, slipped on black ice, hit my head, and now am sitting in the ER waiting for a CAT scan.
In these dark times of division, I'd like to offer one unifying ray of hope to some of you suffering deprivation out there: dry January ends at midnight tonight.
January 31, 2025 at 10:07 PM
In these dark times of division, I'd like to offer one unifying ray of hope to some of you suffering deprivation out there: dry January ends at midnight tonight.
#NWSBoston #WX1BOX Overnight temp was down to -1F here in Stow. According to my data, that is a record low for the 2024-2025 winter season.
January 22, 2025 at 11:05 AM
#NWSBoston #WX1BOX Overnight temp was down to -1F here in Stow. According to my data, that is a record low for the 2024-2025 winter season.
Thank you to Apple for dedicating its home page to Martin Luther King Jr. today. May his memory endure until his dreams are achieved. https://apple.com
Apple
Apple has celebrated MLK Day with a Homepage Takeover since 2015 to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
apple.com
January 20, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Thank you to Apple for dedicating its home page to Martin Luther King Jr. today. May his memory endure until his dreams are achieved. https://apple.com
Reposted by Carl Howe
Happy birthday, A. A. Milne! This celebrated author of the Winnie the Pooh stories attended Trinity to study Mathematics, graduating in 1903. His son, Christopher Robin, was admitted to Trinity in 1939.
An original manuscript of Winnie the Pooh is currently on display at the Wren Library. 🍯🧸
An original manuscript of Winnie the Pooh is currently on display at the Wren Library. 🍯🧸
January 18, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Happy birthday, A. A. Milne! This celebrated author of the Winnie the Pooh stories attended Trinity to study Mathematics, graduating in 1903. His son, Christopher Robin, was admitted to Trinity in 1939.
An original manuscript of Winnie the Pooh is currently on display at the Wren Library. 🍯🧸
An original manuscript of Winnie the Pooh is currently on display at the Wren Library. 🍯🧸
Here are two Apple technologies almost 25 years apart. The amazing thing: the V1 iPod still syncs over Firewire and plays music.
January 16, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Here are two Apple technologies almost 25 years apart. The amazing thing: the V1 iPod still syncs over Firewire and plays music.
If you're interested in strange but true natural disasters, today is the anniversary of the 1919 Great Molasses Flood here in Boston. 21 people died in the 40-foot wave of molasses that flooded the streets when a molasses storage container failed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood
Great Molasses Flood - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM
If you're interested in strange but true natural disasters, today is the anniversary of the 1919 Great Molasses Flood here in Boston. 21 people died in the 40-foot wave of molasses that flooded the streets when a molasses storage container failed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood
Reposted by Carl Howe
Good thread. Also, speaking as a former acquiring editor, this post is true: A whole lot of submissions don't make it out of the first paragraph. It's not about the being flashy out of the gate. It's about whether the craft is there. Craft isn't something you can fake (even with "AI," trust me).
Authors! Submitting your story to an open call? As someone reading through 400+ submissions for an anthology, some tips:
Opening paragraph/sentence: I can tell within the first few sentences if a story is a 'no.'
'Maybes' turn to 'no's' by the end of the first paragraph. Brutal, but it's true.
Opening paragraph/sentence: I can tell within the first few sentences if a story is a 'no.'
'Maybes' turn to 'no's' by the end of the first paragraph. Brutal, but it's true.
January 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Good thread. Also, speaking as a former acquiring editor, this post is true: A whole lot of submissions don't make it out of the first paragraph. It's not about the being flashy out of the gate. It's about whether the craft is there. Craft isn't something you can fake (even with "AI," trust me).
The low of the night here in Stow, MA was 6.9F! Fortunately, the sun is slowly heating us back up again.
December 22, 2024 at 2:36 PM
The low of the night here in Stow, MA was 6.9F! Fortunately, the sun is slowly heating us back up again.
If you don't recognize the name Jack Conners, he was a legendary Boston ad man who believed in giving back to his community and always put his money where his mouth was. He died July 23, 2024. https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/07/23/mass-leaders-remember-philanthropist-jack-connors/
Mass. leaders remember philanthropist Jack Connors
Connors, who rose to prominence in the advertising business, was a leading philanthropist in Boston for decades.
www.boston.com
December 22, 2024 at 2:28 PM
If you don't recognize the name Jack Conners, he was a legendary Boston ad man who believed in giving back to his community and always put his money where his mouth was. He died July 23, 2024. https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/07/23/mass-leaders-remember-philanthropist-jack-connors/
This 25-year old advertisement created by Boston philanthropist Jack Conners and published anonymously was reprinted in today's Boston Globe. At this time of year, may all those who have more than enough do what they can for those who don't.
https://carlhowe.com/photos/generosity-ad.jpg
https://carlhowe.com/photos/generosity-ad.jpg
December 22, 2024 at 2:25 PM
This 25-year old advertisement created by Boston philanthropist Jack Conners and published anonymously was reprinted in today's Boston Globe. At this time of year, may all those who have more than enough do what they can for those who don't.
https://carlhowe.com/photos/generosity-ad.jpg
https://carlhowe.com/photos/generosity-ad.jpg
Watching and counting the birds I see makes me appreciate Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles even more than on my first reading. https://amytan.net/backyard-bird-chronicles.
Amy Tan’s website
Thanks, everyone! More stock coming!
amytan.net
December 21, 2024 at 5:01 PM
Watching and counting the birds I see makes me appreciate Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles even more than on my first reading. https://amytan.net/backyard-bird-chronicles.